I track billionaires’ fortunes and cover the comeback of America’s Heartland. Born and raised in Ohio, I went to Brown University, where I majored in history but spent most of my time writing for the Brown Daily Herald and the Associated Press. I interned for two summers on Forbes' SportsMoney team, then switched over to the Reinventing America section, which focuses on the hands-dirty businesses between the coasts that make up the bulk of the American economy yet get relatively little national attention. Now I’m on my third beat, digging through regulatory findings to figure out how much dough is in the hands of the world’s richest people.
Find me on Twitter @DanAlexander21.

Steve Forbes To Rahm Emanuel: 'You Might Make A Good President' [video]

The Democratic mayor of Chicago Rahm Emanuel got an early endorsement from an unlikely ally Thursday. “You might make a good president,” former Republican presidential candidate Steve Forbes joked with Emanuel at the Forbes Reinventing America Summit.

“It’s not a partisan thing,” Forbes said. “As a Republican, it pains but amazes me what the mayor of Chicago is doing.”

What Emanuel is doing is acting, while Washington largely sits on its heels.

Emanuel has promised to close over 50 struggling public schools and extended the school day by one hour and fifteen minutes, the longest increase in U.S. history.

“I didn’t want to be mayor and oversee the status quo,” Emanuel said.

His policies may have earned Forbes’ respect, but they have engendered plenty of criticism in Chicago. Teachers went on strike when Emanuel extended the school day, and an army of local advocates say he is endangering school children by closing schools and forcing students to cross gang lines to attend new ones.

For his part, Emanuel points to statistics. When he arrived in office, half of Chicago’s students were graduating. Three years later, that figure has increased to 65%. He hopes to have it at 80% in another three years.

Steve Forbes discusses the future of Chicago with Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Thursday.

He is redoing all 350 of Chicago’s playgrounds, revamping the public library system, overhauling the trash system, and helping create a startup ecosystem the city.

“People see cities as driving the economic, intellectual and cultural energy in our nation,” Emanuel said. “I didn’t want to be in a debating society, which is what’s going on in Washington.”

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